Question: When the marines are being briefed before going down to the planet, I've two questions about those that Hudson asks. A) He asks something like, "Is this going to be a stand-up fight or another bug-hunt?" By "bug-hunt" does he mean they've fought some other kind of alien enemy before? It's made clear they've never encountered the signature aliens of the movie before. B) He asks, "How do I get out of this chicken-sh*t outfit?" What exactly does he mean by this? Is he referring to his team as the "chicken-sh*t outfit" and if so, why? None of them appear in any way concerned or afraid of what danger they may be heading into. Ripley in particular seems annoyed by how lightly they're treating the whole situation.
Phixius
15th Jun 2010
Aliens (1986)
Answer: For the first question, he means "will we be actually fighting a real enemy (will this be enjoyable) or are we just going in to wipe out some helpless creatures (like an exterminator wipes out bugs)". For the second question, he is referring to his unit as the chicken shit outfit, but he's just making a joke; a humorous reversal of the truth referencing the fact that no one is afraid at all.
Answer: I would say that he says bug hunt because it isn't the first time Space Marines have had a report of alien life in the universe and had to investigate finding nothing. 2nd questions is that Hudson says that because he doesn't take that outfit seriously. They are Marines and want a confirmed fight not a "bug hunt" sounds like they are just being used to do stupid missions.